Today's electricity grid--and the buildings and appliances it powers--are, for the most part, dumb. In most areas, there's no way for utilities and consumers to communicate in real time, so it's difficult to reduce demand during peak times. The stimulus bill passed early this year provided $11 billion to upgrade the grid, but it's going to take a while. In the meantime, a growing number of technologies are available for consumers who want to understand and manage their electricity consumption. Here are some of the latest products.

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